We have confirmation from various sources that F484 used another “gateway” (the terms gateway, tunnel, and many others are used interchangeably as the scientists are still debating the exact nature of how it works) to travel to Niflheim. There, both he and Myung traveled to the surface to rendezvous with an unknown Insurrectionist warship of unknown class. We believe that it was originally a UNSC ship that was captured. Sadly, this was more common than we'd like to admit.

The next bit contains information that I don't dare tell you directly. ONI has come up with some interesting details, all of them are in that highly classified region where we both could face the firing squad without trial if I told you. With luck, we can avoid that, yes?

Sincerely,

Chair

P.S. I almost sent this before remembering my promise to you! I'm sorry! The date on the last one is estimated at approximately January 27, 2569. Yes, the ride they got was an older ship, with older slipspace protocols. Still, I can't say too much. In many respects, she set one for the history books.

*************Note by Hive: Captain, I have encountered additional encrypted data within this message. The encryption keys are old enough to be added to my own databanks upon my creation due to our frequent status in the outer regions of humanity's occupied zone, in case we encountered any of the number of missing ships from the war. Below is the unencrypted message.*************What did you think of him? Or were you too far gone to even think of it?*************

F484.SAR.1829-PapaCharlie391247-11AA1-1 wrote:

UNKNOWN FEMALE CONSTRUCT - ALIAS: MYUNG[REDACTED] - ALIAS: CALE

Myung: How is he?(PAUSE, 4.6 SECONDS)Cale: Not good. But he'll pull through to finish the job. More importantly, how are you?(PAUSE, 1.3 SECONDS)Myung: I've been better.Cale: (SUSPICIOUSLY) Uh-huh. Is that why you haven't even taken off your helmet?(PAUSE, 1.5 SECONDS)Myung: When he wakes up, he might be confused. He told me... He told me he can think of me as an Orion when I'm in full armor.Cale: You seem rather loyal to him. Switching sides?Myung: (ANGRILY) No! (PAUSE, 2.4 SECONDS)Myung: (SADLY) He's told me a bit. Nothing classified, but if you listen, you can get what he's really saying. He fights so hard. Himself, his superiors, the Covenant. Different battles, sure, but he still fights them. He sees one thing, and his mind works a thousand different ways on how to accomplish it. And he tries to help me any way he can, even knowing my political leanings. He's not very good at it, but every time I feel like I'm going to fall apart, he starts talking or doing something. And when he talks... It's like he lives in a whole different world. One where the only thing that matters at the end of the day is the mission. If you give him a task, he'll kill himself to get it done without a second thought, without a care in the world. (PAUSE, 3.7 SECONDS)Myung: (CONFUSED) Why? Why is he like that? Why make him be like that?Cale: Because he's an Orion Four. It's not something that anybody can be proud of. It's something that weighs on you until your grave. But they make Fours into something more than human... and something less.(PAUSE, 2.4 SECONDS)Cale: (ENCOURAGINGLY) Fight for him. Keeping you alive is most likely part of his mission objective. Make it part of yours. Don't protect him because we need him. Yes, we won't win this war without Orions, but that shouldn't be why you keep him alive. Do it because he deserves respect... and life. Anybody who willingly sacrifices their own before they die deserves to have it returned to them.(PAUSE, 4.6 SECONDS)Myung: Should we tell him? About who you... (TRAILS OFF)(PAUSE, 1.4 SECONDS)Cale: His patriotism is as much heavy brainwashing as it is himself. There's no telling how he'll react.

*************Note by Hive: Captain, I have encountered additional encrypted data within this message. The encryption keys are old enough to be added to my own databanks upon my creation due to our frequent status in the outer regions of humanity's occupied zone, in case we encountered any of the number of missing ships from the war. Below is the unencrypted message.*************If only he would have been Lord Hood. He might have insisted on accompanying you. But it's better this way, I think. He was exactly who was needed. Even if your mind told you he was somebody else.*************

F484.SAR.1829-PapaCharlie391247-11AAD-4 wrote:

F484[REDACTED] - ALIAS: CALE

F484: (STARTS AWAKE)Cale: (QUICKLY, CALMLY) I'm sorry. I should have known better than to touch an Orion's weapon.F484: (STERNLY) Identify yourself.Cale: Do you know where you are?F484: (INSISTENTLY) Identify yourself.(PAUSE, 1.7 SECONDS)Cale: My name is... My name is Cale. I'm a farmer. When the captain told me about the mission, I signed on. (PAUSE, 1.5 SECONDS) Do you know where you are?F484: A former UNSC warship taken by insurrectionists.Cale: (SOOTHINGLY) Good. Relax. You've been through a lot son. You need to relax. Can you tell me your name?F484: Foxtrot four-eight-four.Cale: Son, I can't go calling you foxtrot all the time. Can you at least give me your first name?F484: No.Cale: Why not?F484: That's classified.(PAUSE, 12.3 SECONDS)F484: (HESITANTLY) The shrinks tell me I have a form of combat stress reaction that has caused me to forget most of my pre-recruitment life. They say... They offered me the chance to undergo therapy to help, but...Cale: You didn't want to take the time away from duty.F484: Right.Cale: With the war going, I don't blame you. I don't think anybody could. (PAUSE, 3.1 SECONDS) How do you feel?F484: Like I've been gargling copper casings.Cale: (JOKINGLY) Well, you were snoring awful loudly.F484: (SNORT OF LAUGHTER)

F484.SAR.1829-PapaCharlie391247-11AAE-6 wrote:

F484[REDACTED] - ALIAS: CALE

F484: Where's Myung?Cale: I talked her into going to talk with the captain. She's been hovering over you wringing her hands since we brought you aboard. Not that she'd let us take your armor off to do a full workup.F484: Then why was my helmet off?Cale: You had a pretty bad nosebleed. She was afraid that you'd drown in your sleep. Silly of her, I think. We could dump you in a swimming pool of blood and you'd do the backstroke in your sleep.F484: (SNORTS) I've heard that one a time or two before.Cale: (PLEASED) I'm sure you have.(PAUSE, 4.3 SECONDS)Cale: (SERIOUS) How are you doing?F484: Blood pressure's unusually high, I've been drugged, my suit tells me I've had brainwave activity outside the usual norms, and my body temperature is awfully low.Cale: That's not what I asked.F484: What do you care? I'm the enemy.Cale: No, you're a person. My only enemy would have been shooting plasma at me already.F484: Well, I have a sticky.(PAUSE, 3.2 SECONDS)Cale: You make a lot of smartBLAM comments for an Orion.F484: I'm chatty.Cale: You're being defensive.F484: And you're trying to put me at ease while asserting authority. And your body posture suggests that there's something you don't want me finding out. By your bearing, I'd guess that you're a turncoat. Officer, most likely in charge of your own ship. Possibly even this one.(PAUSE, 2.1 SECONDS)Cale: (AMUSED) Touché. Not entirely right, but good enough for blind guesses. Truce?F484: Until Myung gets back at least.

F484.SAR.1829-PapaCharlie391247-11AB1-2 wrote:

F484[REDACTED] - ALIAS: CALE

F484: So, what's it like being a farmer?Cale: Probably boring to you. It's... a much slower life than anything I've ever encountered before. Very peaceful. Relaxing. Probably not the kind of thing you'd be interested in.F484: I wouldn't be so sure.Cale: Oh?F484: (UNEASILY) I think... it might be... pretty.Cale: (CAUTIOUSLY) What do you mean?F484: Once, I was on a mission. We moved through... wheat fields. I... I looked back. Over the hills. The way the wind hit the grain. Made it... Made...F484: (WHEEZING)F484: (GAGGING)(SOUND OF BEEPING EQUIPMENT)Cale: (YELLING) Get in here! He's crashing!

F484.SAR.1829-PapaCharlie391247-11AB9-A wrote:

UNKNOWN FEMALE CONSTRUCT - ALIAS: MYUNG[REDACTED] - ALIAS: CALE

Myung: (QUIETLY) Is he...?Cale: (QUIETLY) He's... surviving. They're flash-cloning some new organs for him, but we don't have a sample of his DNA that isn't damaged somehow. We have to pull from him fresh, but to make sure that the degradation doesn't continue at the same rate you would need a sample months, maybe even years ago. It's a stopgag measure at best. There's no telling how long they'll last him. (PAUSE, 3.2 SECONDS) I'm sorry.

Cale: How are we doing, hon?Cassie: Her calculations were good. Better than what the computer ever could have pulled off. It'll be a while before we have to worry about the Covenant noticing us.Cale: (ALARMED) Covenant? BLAM.Myung: Have they glassed the planet?Cassie: Not that I'm seeing. I'm not entirely sure what's going on.(PAUSE, 2.1 SECONDS)Myung: Oh, I think I have a good idea.F484: The two of us will take a Pelican.Cale: (SURPRISED) You shouldn't be on your feet, son.F484: That's the bad thing about us Orions. We're harder to keep down than people like. (PAUSE, 0.8 SECONDS) You good?Myung: Are you?F484: They tell me I'm not, but I've got three missions left in me. I figure, we do this, we get our weapon, then I hold back on the third until I can get some medical treatment by people authorized to treat me.(PAUSE, 6.3 SECONDS)F484: (FLATLY) My involvement is non-negotiable.Cassie: I don't think your involvement means much of anything right now. We'll need to come back with a fleet to take on what's in orbit.Myung: No. No we don't. (PAUSE, 2.5 SECONDS) I have a plan.F484: I don't like it.Myung: (AMUSED) It's based off of one of yours.F484: Now I really don't like it.

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